Artwork copyright Susan Point. Photo courtesy of the artist.

The Shaper, 1997

Susan Point
(Canadian | Musqueam, born 1952)

Location: Lakeridge Middle School, Bonney Lake

ABOUT THE ARTWORK

The Shaper is is part of Coast Salish artist Susan Point's series of carved glass works created in collaboration with master glass craftsman David Montpetit. The circular design is an adaptation of a traditional spindle whorl design, named for the disk used by Coast Salish women to spin mountain goat wool yarn for weaving. Spindle whorls were traditionally often carved and decorated. The composition is populated by many figures, with a central human figure holding up the earth. Point notes: "this sculpture is meant to convey the notion that all life is inter-related and that man, being 'the shaper' of this world, must always be guided by this fact if he is to be a good caretaker of the planet."

This artwork was acquired for the State Art Collection in partnership with Sumner School District.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Susan Point is a celebrated First Nations Musqueam artist working in the Coast Salish tradition of her ancestors. She is based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, which is the traditional territory of the Musqueam.
Point creates fine art and public sculptural artworks in a variety of media. The use of her ancestral visual language is complemented by contemporary concepts, non traditional materials, and innovative design elements. She notes, "Coast Salish art has forever been a way to honour and remember significant details of our social lives. My hope is that my children remember to tell not only our cultural accounts, but also their own stories as well."